If you have your own business, or are planning to start one, then mentorship is a fantastic way to help you develop ideas, strategies and goals. Most mentors have walked the talk and succeeded in business on a big scale. You’ll undoubtedly recognize some of their names: Richard Branson, Warren Buffett, Tim Ferriss, Bill Gates and Sheryl Sandberg.
Why Is It so Hard to Connect with Top Business Mentors?
Imagine having someone as wise and experienced as a CEO of a Fortune 100 company advising you on your business. You’d love it, right? But you’ve probably never seriously considered it, as surely, they would never want to be your mentor? If you start of with the attitude above, then it’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever connect with a great mentor. Not only will you make no effort to contact possible mentors, but even if you did, it’s odds-on that they’ll immediately pick up on your lack of confidence and belief. The world’s top business mentors are looking to help the next generation of entrepreneurs to succeed. These mentors are already super-rich, so money is no longer their main driver. In many cases, they just want to pass on their wisdom to help young businesses and entrepreneurs avoid common and unexpected pitfalls. As you’ll see shortly, great business mentors are often open to helping people who have unique ideas, a burning passion and a clear purpose. If you have these traits, then put your doubts aside, as connecting with top business mentors may be easier than you believe.
A good mentor gives you advice that will grow you continuously.
Connecting with great mentors can help you and your business in an abundance of ways. A major benefit from mentorship is advice. For example, just think of how helpful it would be to call your mentor when you needed a second-opinion on an important business decision. Their advice could mean the difference between a good or bad decision (and a subsequent profit or loss). Another important benefit from mentorship is perspective. For instance, your mentor could look at a business problem you are having with fresh eyes – and from a whole new angle. Einstein said it well: Other benefits from mentorship include: encouragement, networking, and skills improvement.
These are the 7 steps for connecting with the best mentors in business.
Once you’ve set your mind on finding a great mentor – you’re ready to act on the steps below.
1. Create a dynamic profile of yourself and your business.
The first step towards attracting a top mentor is to make your online profile as presentable as possible. Let’s say you regularly use LinkedIn and Twitter. Make sure that your profile on each of these sites powerfully projects your innovation and passion. This starts with having a professional, welcoming profile picture. From there, let readers quickly see your skills and experience. And finally, pay close attention to your posts and tweets. These should reflect your entrepreneurial spirit, and not be negative or offensive.
2. Search for mentors who match your requirements.
You may already have a few potential mentors in mind. That’s a great place to start from. However, you’ll likely be able to narrow your list down by studying each of the individuals and their interests. The aim is to ascertain which of the potential mentors would be the best match for you and your business. You can do this by: researching them on Google, looking at their latest posts and recommendations, studying their current business interests and investments.
3. Once you’ve found a potential mentor – be on their radar.
Once you’ve narrowed down your search to one or two potential mentors, then begin to interact with them. You can do this by replying to their tweets, sharing their Facebook posts, and commenting (in a meaningful way) on their blogs. To be clear, you’re not trying to stalk them! Rather, you’re simply trying to catch their attention before moving to step four…
4. Consider contacting them directly and asking for their help.
If you have a good understanding of your potential mentor(s), then you’ll instinctively know when is the best time to reach out to them for help. If they’ve already replied to your comments on social media, then you definitely have a foot in the door. Whether you contact them via email, or private messaging on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, just be sure to mention some of their posts and blogs that you’ve enjoyed and benefited from. This makes a great introduction. Next, give a brief and engaging overview of yourself and your business. Then ask politely for some advice or information from them.
5. Consider volunteering at an event they are speaking at.
Not all mentors are active on social media, so you may need to try alternative techniques for gaining their attention. One way to do this, is to find out when and where they will be speaking next. If it’s in a convenient location for you, then contact the event organizers and often to volunteer your services. This could take the form of co-ordinating the event, or helping on the day. Either way, you’ll be able to impress everyone with your enthusiasm and skills, and most importantly, you’ll have an excellent chance of meeting and speaking with your potential mentor.
6. Put yourself into their shoes.
One trick you should definitely adopt when contacting a potential mentor, is to put yourself in their shoes. By this, I mean seeing the situation from their eyes. For instance, picture yourself as a great mentor such as Warren Buffett. Then look at your current self – and see if you would be interested in mentoring you! By adopting this fresh perspective you’ll quickly see how to improve your pitch to your potential mentor. It can make a huge difference to your chances.
7. Be the perfect mentee.
To attract a great mentor, then you need to become the best mentee you possibly can. Do this by being open-minded, ready to learn, and respectful. You also need to be time-aware, as top mentors are likely to be super-busy individuals. So, it’s best to keep your communications with them brief and to the point. Additionally, be ready to show your gratitude for their advice and time. By actively pursuing your career goals and dreams, you’ll make it easy for you to attract the perfect mentor. And from there – who knows what you’ll achieve? Featured photo credit: Fortune Live Media via flickr.com
